Heartache and Drama?
by RestlessNights
Summary: Sequel to 'Kissing Chaos' Destin goes to Canada for the summer. Everything changes when she's reaquainted with Kaylen. After the summers end, will Destin doubt who she is?No RWHG, but Kissing Chaos was, read it!
1. Chapter One: What Was I Thinking?

The sequel (or "inbetween-quel," I'm not sure) is here. The story starts off in present; then goes back into a memory which will be the majority of the story. It might be a good idea to read the first one, but this should be simple enough to follow without reading "Kissing Chaos." This is completely RE-EDITED. Which means there are still probably a million little grammatical mistakes, but maybe a bit better in writing?? And maybe more chapters now.

**Chapter One: Kaylen**

The bed curtains were always closed, mostly because she liked her personal space. It was one of the places she could be alone without anyone questioning her absence. Yet she still caught her roommates talking about the long durations spent behind the curtains. Alexis, usually referred to as Alex, simple believed she was studying.

"She _must_ be," she argued. "With those marks anyone would have to bust their butt to keep them."

Rosalind shook her head, "No. Her mother is Hermione Granger; it comes naturally to her. I think she just hates people and would rather stay isolated." Rosalind thought for a brief moment and added bitterly, "You know, so she doesn't ruin her _magnificent_ mind on us." She had a strong dislike for Destin because Dee always got the attention of everyone in their year; from the boys, from the girls, from the staff. It was completely unfair to those without famous parents.

'_Drama, drama, drama,'_ Destin thought with a smile – her room-mates antics always amused her. Why did it matter what she did with her own time? It was hers, not theirs.

Alex rolled her eyes, "She doesn't think that. She doesn't spent time with other people because she's not very social in general. Do you have a theory Vix?"

Victoria was the most practical of Destin's three room-mates, while Rosalind was the gossip and Alex was gullible and adored Dee's ability to disregard judgements. "Destin would just rather be alone. She studies when it's important and doesn't find herself better than anyone else," Vix reasoned. "She's not even in there half the time, and if she is she's not alone." Rosalind and Alex gasped melodramatically and Vix tried not to hit them in irritation. "She's sixteen with two crazy strict parents. Of course she's going to rebel against them some how, and she's not stupid enough to do it by failing. Oh don't look so shocked you two," she added in disgust, "Neither one of you are innocent."

Destin smiled and rolled over. She thought Cough Drop could do better than _that_. Though Vix did sound convincing, Rosalind and Alex always believed everything Cough Drop told them. And now Dee had to worry about Rosalind watching her closely to try and catch her with some guy, which was impossible in the girl's dormitory anyway. She put her headphones back on and continued to study. Arithmacy was interesting enough, but she found it rather useless for her real interests. Sometimes she really had to force herself to study enough to keep a strong mark.

Amazingly enough, her favorite class was Potions, even though Snape had continuously tried to ruin the subject for her in the first couple years. It wasn't until she received the highest mark in O.W.L.'s since the Half-blood Prince himself did he finally allow her to do more complicated potions then the rest; taking a personal interest in her. He constantly told her about how much he despised teaching her parents. She just laughed, saying "I don't doubt it, they'd be a infuriating." It was probably the first time he ever awarded Gryffindor House ten points – for her "outstanding potion" of course.

She studied until her c.d. ended. She closed her books loudly, just in case anyone in the dorm was still talking about her. Destin sneaked through the curtains, but was confronted with Alex and Rosalind staring at her quizzically. She shrugged, "Batteries ran low."

Alex nodded, always shy towards her. Then suddenly blurted, "What were you doing in there?"

Destin sighed. "What would I need batteries for?" Rosalind stared at her intensely, wondering about how straight forward Dee would be with them. "I was listening to a c.d. my friend sent, and had to listen to it on a muggle player."

Alex sighed quietly in relief. "See you around Destin," she called to her retreating back.

Without looking back Dee bent her elbow up and half waved. "Sure thing Alexis."

As Destin walked through the hallways and up flights of stairs she thought about how magical and wonderful she used to see this world. Now, the moving pictures and stairs were boring. She'd even go as far as calling it annoyingly pointless. When she was little, all she wanted was to be the Gryffindor Keeper like her father and top of all her classes like her mom. It was ironic how both happened; yet now she depended on Kaylen's weekly packages to bring any type of happiness or fulfillment. Sometimes he sent her lyrics of his favorite songs, or some music he'd written himself, and even some movies he though she'd enjoy. This week he sent a home recorded video.

She paced back and forth in the corridor thinking about Kayle and his most recent gift. She needed to watch it in order to get back to the real world, _his_ world. Destin stopped casually in front of a door, which had just appeared in the empty corridor. She twisted the door handle with her fingertips in relaxed grace. Destin entered the small space with a smile.

Same as always, the room held a dark mysterious presence. She greeted the presence happily, knowing whom it contained. She slouched into an overstuffed black chair, which was a borrowed item rather than her imagination at work. She leaned her head back, instantly she felt a musk fragrance engulf her lungs. With a wave of her hand the candles along the walls were lit, and soft light danced off her face. Destin got up to put the tape into the machine instead of doing it by magic, like everything else she did.

"You're getting real lazy Destin. You know that?" Tayhe had told her earlier. Since then she'd felt guilty whenever she used magic to do simple tasks. She hit the play button and sat back down feeling gratified that she used Tayhe's comment constructively. The screen flickered as a scene came on.

Destin curled her feet underneath her as the screen switched to a picture. She couldn't believe her eyes; it was their camping trip from that summer, when she had just turned sixteen. It was the first time they had seen each other since they had spent a week together in that same place when she was twelve. She'd stopped coming around after, but only because she was too busy adjusting to a new life with her father, and at Hogwarts. But this trip, the one being viewed, was the more important of the two… He'd found out that she was a witch. Heartache and drama.

"Destin, you finally made it!" Kaylen exclaimed excitedly. He had been setting up a four-man tent, but was now staring at the not-so-young-anymore new arrival.

"Tayhe dragged me out for some fun, though I'm not so sure that'll happen," she replied with a raised eyebrow. She laughed, as he couldn't figure out what to do next with the tent. Destin walked over and helped clip a rod into place, then shoved it into the hook.

"And why is that?" he asked seriously, purposely ignoring that she'd finished something he been intentionally putting off until she arrived.

"You're here aren't you?" she teased, knowing the cliché of the comment.

"Har, har. I'm glad you finally found your sarcasm," he bit back. He sat down on a rock, and then added, "You'll have the worst time ever Destin, just wait. You won't be able to wait to come back next summer."

"Get off it Kayle," she laughed. "And just call me Dee like everyone else." Nobody ever used her full name, not even as a sign of anger or annoyance. It made her uncomfortable to have Kaylen call her Destin.

"Never," he taunted, unaware of her dilemma with the name.

"Oh Kayle, she asked you to call her Dee," Tayhe cooed. "She must like you." Tayhe came strutting down the old worn hill that led to the small beach holding a fancy camera. He knew how awkward Dee was feeling because she was picking at her thumb nails with her index finger. She always did that.

"Nice timing Tayhe. You just missed having to help with the tent. I had to do it all by myself," Kaylen scolded.

"Really? All alone?" Dee laughed.

"I have it all on tape," Tayhe added.

She laughed, her curled red hair pulled into a high, loose ponytail. "Good try, but next time you should make sure that an eye-witness and the guy taping you isn't around when you tell the exaggeration," Dee advised, a glint in her eyes.

Kaylen rolled his eyes, "You guys are nuts; Destin you helped with a single part of it. Who do you think did everything before that?"

"The instructions," Tayhe replied.

Kaylen looked annoyed. "Put down that stupid camera would yah?"

Tayhe did, but only because he didn't bring Dee out here to witness a fight. "Anything else needed? If not I have to park the four-wheeler."

"I don't need anything," Kayle said. "Destin probably needs something." His comment was intended to be nonchalant, but sounded more like a jab.

Destin, who had been admiring the waterfall, whipped around with an almost disgusted look on her face. "Think I'm high-maintenance? Thanks, you're so charming." She bared her ivory teeth. "I know how to rough it, don't worry about me."

Tayhe, apprehensive about a forthcoming argument, nodded uncomfortably and left. Destin turned back to the view. There was this ledge; it'd be perfect to sit and relax on. Bigger then the other ledges it'd probably fit all three easily. The light breeze picked up slightly.

"What are yah lookin' at?" Kayle asked from behind her, slowly moving beside her.

She took a deep breath of the fresh air. "That ledge, over there," she pointed. "It'd be perfect to hang out on, eh?"

He laughed at her. "You've said that before. If only you could get there."

"It's right there, all you have to do is climb up."

"It's not that easy!" he argued.

"Why not?"

"I don't know why I'm arguing, you're such an elephant. Go ahead and show me how easy it is Princess!"

"Fine!" She stalked off to where she left her bags.

"Where you headed?"

Dee rolled her eyes at his ignorant question. "I don't know how you do it here in Canada, but I like to wear a bathing suit when I go swimming. Excuse me," she snapped as she pushed by him and into the tent. Zipping the door behind her, she changed quickly and knotted her hair into a bun. She stepped out to both Kaylen and Tayhe laughing.

Destin quickly shoved her stuff into her bag and made her way to the waters edge. She stared down at her feet. At the moment she wished she'd chosen any other colour then red to paint her toes. Red was so bold, and daring – so princess. She was content when the red vanished to reveal her clean, plain – natural – toenails. She raised her head back up and slowly waded into the cold water. The boys were still laughing, which only gave her a stronger will to do it with no problem.

"Don't get your hair wet," Kaylen teased.

She smiled, "No problem." When the water hit her waist she lunged forward, making sure her hair didn't come close to the water. It took her just over five minutes to gracefully swim to the cliff. She stopped for awhile looking up the edge, steep with almost no handgrips for the first couple feet. Dee sunk down slightly, took a mouthful of water through parted lips and slowly spat it out again. The boys had gone silent, just watching her tread water for a couple moments.

Studying the rock in front of her very carefully, Destin planned out her path. However, the first handgrip was a good arm length from her grasp. She stared at the water right by the solid slate; she smiled and rested on the rock that had appeared.

"What are you, scared?" Kaylen yelled.

Without hesitating she screamed, "Kaylen, anyone ever tell you to shove it?"

"No!"

"Well," she pushed off the rock and caught the first grip with her right hand, "Shove it!"

Tayhe stifled a laugh after watching Kaylen's face as he watched her make her way up the edge. "She's actually doing it!" Kaylen exclaimed.

As if irony loved her, she slipped at that moment, losing grip of the wet rock. Her knee hit a ledge as she tumbled horrifyingly fast towards the sparkling water. She instinctively lined her hand up to a grip and clutched to the rock. Her body jolted to a halt, ripping her shoulder into great pain. Biting her lip to not yelp and concentrated on getting up to the ledge. Her fingers were dead raw, she could feel blood dripping down her knee, her shoulder was aching, her stomach was scratched up right side and she felt as if she'd never have soft feet again, but would always have rough, stubbed and bleeding toes.

At last she made it to the final edge, the one in which this was all for.

It was better than she ever could have imagined. The black rock was cooled in shade, yet not that icy cool that would tempt a person to jump off into the gurgling water below. She was right, they would probably be able to fit up here comfortably. Hell, if she could get her books up here she'd spend all her summer reading and doing homework.

She slid to the side of the edge, swinging her feet back and forth. "That's it boys – that easy!" Destin yelled down to them.

"Tayhe, I've been trying to get up on that thing since I was eight," Kaylen said.

"I know, you started because she said you'd never be able to."

He punched Tayhe in the arm. "Shut up Tay."

"Who's a prat now, eh Kaylen? Oh yeah, that would be you!" a voice sang into his ears from a distance.

"It's impossible to reach that first grip. It's an arm length too high! No one can just do that on the first try," he said in a frustrated voice. "Want some company up there?"

Destin thought for a moment. "How deep is it here?"

"Deep enough, why?" he responded.

She smiled and stood. Destin untangled her hair from their restraints. Her hair fell wildly around her face. "It's time to get my hair wet." She decided that for a first jump she'd go feet first, just to be safe. Dee took a couple of steps back before sprinting into the jump. At first her arms were out, fighting the rush of wind, but slowly they reached up to the sky along with her hair. She closed her eyes to enjoy the surge of falling freely. Soon though, too soon, her pointed toes broke the water's uneven surface.

The refreshing water immediately engulfed her. As she plunged deeper the water became increasingly colder before her seeming weightless body started floating back up to air. Destin kicked off towards the shore, now opening her eyes to peer through the greenish liquid. Slowly the light came through to her, giving two silhouettes in a distance. She came to the surface, gasping for air.

It was only when she was about to stand and walk out did she realize her cuts and scrapes were stinging in appalling pleasure. Destin stood and stumbled out, uneasy on the wet rocks with her new injuries.

"Would either of you want to grab a towel for me please?" she pressed for service. Tayhe whisked off to grab one as Kaylen helped her out. He pulled on her arm slightly to hurry her, and she gave a little wince.

"You okay?" he asked, with a surprising note of concern.

"Just a bit sore. Thanks Tayhe." She grabbed the towel to dry off, but Kaylen had noticed too soon.

"Hold on," he insisted and grabbed her hand to stop her from covering up. "Look at your stomach! You ripped that open good didn't you?"

"I'm fine really –"

"No, I think he's right Dee," Tayhe agreed.

"Okay," Dee sighed angrily. She turned to Kaylen. "Let go of me."

"If you're really okay, you'd be able to pull your hand out of my grasp," Kaylen taunted. She was determined, but if it was a serious tear then it'd be physically impossible. She tried but gave up shortly after. He felt real bad for her, but continuing to climb up could have made it much worse. "Dry yourself off with your other arm," he directed, letting go of her. "Don't get dressed yet." He left for his bag, leaving her glaring after him.

She couldn't believe him. Who did he think he was? She knew what to do; she didn't need him to tell her. Destin dried off and sat down on a large rock. She lifted her leg up to inspect her knee. It was ripped up bad; nothing time could heal though. She'd have a scar, but no big deal. Her feet were a horrid sight, looking worse than they felt.

Something cold hit her shoulder and she jumped around, almost falling off the rock if it hadn't been for Kaylen grabbing her around the waist. "Why'd you do that?" she demanded.

"To save you from falling?" She couldn't help but want to smack him. "Well it was the gentlemanly thing to do." When he still got nothing from her he continued. "It's a muscle relax cream, it'll make it feel better." He turned her back around and started to rub in the lather.

It started to heat up, almost to the point when she thought it was burning, and took the pain away gradually. The smell was the strong menthol sent. When he finished he took a look at her side and knee. "If they don't stop bleeding we'll have to clean and bandage them, but the air should do its thing."

"Alright, thanks," she mumbled.

"Don't mention it Princess."

"It's _Dee_," she emphasized.

"Right." _'Princess,'_ he thought stubbornly. "Tayhe and I will set up camp, so you can just sit for a while."

"Okay, as long as you don't complain later about 'doing it all yourself.'"

"I'll try."

Destin rested on the rock a bit, enjoying not having to do anything. But as time carried on she grew restless. When the boys were hunting down some firewood she started to move her bags to the tent. Her bikini was still wet but she didn't want to go through the pain of getting out of it so decided to slide on black boy-cut shorts and didn't bother with a shirt. The bleeding on her stomach had slowed, but she didn't want to stain any of her shirts – it'd be hard to explain the magical removal of a stain while camping.

She stumbled out of the tent just in time to see Kaylen holding a plastic tub half his size full of firewood. She watched him maneuver his way around the table; his arms bulging and his face set in concentration. He found the spot he was looking for and carefully set it down.

"Some muscles you got there," she complimented.

He whipped around and stared at her as if she was the first person to ever give him a compliment. "Thanks, it's just from working the farm," Kaylen replied with a dismissive wave.

"Anything I can do?" she asked willingly.

He laughed. "Restless already? You can set up the beds; the sleeping bags and pillows are over there," he pointed.

"And what after the two minute job?"

"Dee you can't use that shoulder too much, let it heal. Why don't you read a book?"

This angered her. Did he think of himself as a doctor? Destin went over and picked up the sleeping bags and pillows then stomped off to the tent. She threw them in with her bad shoulder then followed. It took her less them two minutes to finish, but when she came out Kaylen had again disappeared from sight.

She trekked her way to where the boys were unpacking. After a few minutes she stopped when she heard their voices.

"What happened now Kayle?"

"Nothing really. She's just emotional."

She's _what?_

"Honestly, first day here and you're scaring her off. You two are too similar, that's the problem."

"She hurt her shoulder Tayhe, badly. That could have a permanent effect."

"Oh don't get in a personal huff, you hate people knowing about it as it is. Besides, she didn't even show it! You forget that she pulled herself three quarters the way up that cliff with that shoulder. Just try to understand her. It'll make it easier for us all."

Destin made a loud entrance. When both boys looked up she scowled slightly. "Tayhe, where's my guitar?"

"You brought your guitar camping Princess?" Kaylen asked skeptically.

"Yes, I find it calming to play and write music, gets rid of all my frustration and anger," she said.

He raised his eyebrows, "How often do you write? By the look of it you must have at least five best selling albums just from today."

Tayhe couldn't take their bickering any longer. "Destin, it's over here. I'll help you grab it." He walked towards a pile of their stuff. Once she was close to him he whispered, "He seems to like you."

Though confused, she just pretended he had informed her that dinner was hot dogs. "Alright thanks. I'm going to find a place – a peaceful place – to write. I'll be back in an hour or two." She walked back through the path leading to the camp and the water edge.


	2. Chapter Two: SMWD

**Chapter Two: 'SMWD'**

She was gone for longer than two hours; it was coming close to four when her stomach directed back towards camp. The music was basically lined out; of course she'd still go over and adjust as she wrote lyrics.

Destin took her time to pack up her stuff, as was her usual manner of doing things. Once everything was organized she slung her guitar over her bad shoulder and started down the steep path. Dee had found a secluded cave type shelter up the opposite rocky ledge of the one she'd climbed earlier. She ran her fingers along the grooves of the rock as she gracefully moved across the narrow rock path.

Kaylen heard the music from a distance stop, but kept on preparing the dinner (chicken breast and baked potatoes cooked over the fire on a griddle). When five minutes pasted and music still ceased to carry through the serene air he glanced up towards the direction in which it previously came.

He did this and witnessed Destin coming down the old rock path. Her hair had finally dried, and was in a more relaxed curl then earlier that afternoon. He stared as she seemed to dance down without any problem. He noticed that there were moments when Dee had no grace, and others where she could dance on ice.

"Seems to be in a better mood, doesn't she?" Kaylen commented to Tayhe before turning back towards the food.

Tayhe looked up at his half-sister. "Dee probably let it all out when playing. You know it's kind of like when you bike. If you call crashing biking," he added with a grin. Kaylen just laughed.

"As long as she doesn't get emotional again," Kaylen stated.

Tayhe glared at him, but he didn't notice. "You know," he started, "She was never all that _emotional_ at school when you weren't around. You bug the hell out of her." Tayhe scratched his thick black hair uncertainly. It was shorter than he was used to, and felt almost unnatural.

"Not my fault she's so serious. Hurry up and bring something I can set the pan on," he insisted as he finished turning the last piece of chicken over.

The two boys did little preparation for what would be a 'proper dinner'. They each had their own plastic-eating utensil, but that was about all that they got. Tayhe was a little apprehensive on how Destin would react, because though she could definitely rough it, she could be . . . not high maintenance, but maintenance.

Destin felt great, she doubted neither Tayhe nor Kaylen could ruin her mood. She felt refreshed and brand new. She let the guitar case glide off her shoulder and she directed it to lean against a tree. Destin sat down into a cross-legged position at the picnic table.

"Looks good," she commented, staring down hungrily at the chicken. When nothing really happened, and nobody said anything, she glanced at the motionless bodies in front of her. "I'm starving, could you please pass a fork?"

It took Kaylen a second to register before selecting a plastic fork for her. She grabbed it without complaint, and even thanked him. She picked a baked potato and quickly unraveled half of the blob of tin foil. It was really hot so she proceeded by holding the foil against the wooden table with her fork then picked apart the rest.

Steam rose in a solid flow and for a moment Destin could only guess if there really was a potato in there, for all she could see was the massive cloud of semi-transparent gray smoke. The scent of lemon pepper flowed into her head and she loved it. Looking down, a potato smeared with butter and seasonings sat against its shining silver back round. She turned her fork sideways and cut the potato with some difficulty. Once it finally separated she started to eat.

Kayle had already started to eat; only mildly surprised that she hadn't complained, argued or criticized. Tayhe, however, was waiting for a comment. Whether good or bad, Dee always gave an opinion.

"I like cooking over the fire, gives the food a different taste than regular."

Tayhe half grinned, and pulled out a potato and after unwrapping it he set a piece of chicken on it.

Destin cleaned up after the silent, delightful dinner; not that it was hard. Her only real job was rinse off the pan then to steam it off, throw tin foil (their 'plates') out and quickly wipe down the plastic cutlery.

Kaylen rested back on his usual spot by the water's edge. Tayhe, beside him, was talking about some baseball player. It was interesting enough, but the subject seemed to be a sore spot lately. Perhaps he should tell Tayhe to just back off about baseball for a while. He should have from the beginning, but couldn't bring himself to be so blunt with his best friend. All he was doing was trying to put things back to normal.

"Man Kaylen, you should see this guy; never misses a catch; amazing."

Kaylen came back to life. "Honestly? Crazy . . ." Kaylen replied hopefully. Thankfully Tayhe took off again. Kaylen turned away from the lake, for the peaceful water was irritating him. He caught sight of Dee finishing the last plastic fork.

She didn't look bored, irritated or angry, just serene. Dee set it down and took a deep breath. There were some loose curls around her face; she carelessly tucked them behind her ears. He noticed her stomach was still raw and decided he'd have to bandage it before bed so it could heal faster. She yawned and stretched, but quit with a wince as she pulled her shoulder back down and massaged it. Suddenly Tayhe stopped talking and Kaylen felt the pressure to reply with something.

"Yah, no kidding," he said in hope it'd make sense.

"I'm thirsty, you want something to drink Kaylen?" Tayhe offered.

"Nah, I'm good."

"You sure? I was going for a beer," he tempted.

"Actually," Kaylen stared at Destin's seemingly perfect figure with a wanting look, "A beer sounds great."

"Hey Dee," Tayhe yelled. Destin turned quickly, dropping her hand from her shoulder. "Two beer; they're in the cooler."

Kaylen glared at Tayhe. "We could have gotten them ourselves."

"Yes, but why not take advantage of a good mood?" Kaylen thought about it before realizing perhaps Tayhe was right. Friends grab things for each other all the time, why should this be any different?

Destin came back with two bottled beer, tops already cracked off. "Anything else while I'm up?" she posed.

"No, we're good," Kaylen replied.

"I wouldn't argue if you popped some popcorn though," Tayhe said.

Dee laughed, "You're on our own there lil'bro; I've never made the stuff, so go make it yourself."

Tayhe sighed and got up to make his popcorn and Destin took his place. She had a tall glass of Pepsi in her left hand and used her right to help herself down.

"How's that shoulder?" Kaylen asked.

Dee suspired lightly. "It's uh . . . A little tight." She took a sip of her drink, ignoring the burning sensation.

"I'll rub some more cream on after I wrap your stomach.

She just took another drink. "Sure thanks," she mumbled. He took a long drink of beer, but knew he wouldn't feel anything until his fourth or fifth. "Not feeling it?" asked Dee.

"Not really," he breathed in frustration.

Dee handed him her drink. "Try this," she directed. He just stared at her. "Trust me, okay? I mean I've already had some so it's not going to kill you. You'll feel it right away."

He finally took the glass. _'Hell, if she can handle it, how bad can it be?'_ he thought. He took a gulp and had a burning urge, literally, to spit it out. It felt as if a fire had been set in his throat. He forced it down and gasped for air. Destin grabbed the cup from him to save it from spilling then rubbed his back as he started a coughing fit. She knew how powerful the first drink is, and felt bad for not giving him more warning about what to expect.

"Damn Princess, I think you're supposed to dilute that stuff." He exclaimed as soon as he felt he could speak.

"I did; ninety – ten," she replied sympathetically.

"That's it?"

"Ninety percent Pepsi, ten percent of the hard stuff."

"Only ten? Of what?"

"Well," she hesitated. "Let's just call it 'Sex in the Mountain with Destin'. That's what most boys call it anyway."

"Burns that much?"

She laughed. "Sometimes more."

He thought for a moment. "I want more," he laughed as he placed his hand on her thigh. True to her word, he was already feeling a little light headed.

Dee placed the glass on her upper thigh to stop his wondering hand. His hand bumped into it. "That's as far as you'll ever get. Drink up Kaylen." He groaned in slight disappointment, but took the glass. This time he only took a sip and was prepared for the burn.

Tayhe came back with popcorn five minutes later to find Kaylen and Destin all over each other, holding a half-empty glass. Dee was giggling and trying to stop a laughing Kaylen from groping her with no real success. "Guys, what's – "

"Tayhe!" Destin almost screamed. "You're here!" She paused for a second. "When did you get here?" They both started laughing again.

Tayhe rolled his eyes and grabbed his sister by pulling her to stand. "You didn't," he stated.

"Popcorn!" Kaylen stared hungrily at the food. Tayhe gave him the bowl and took Dee over away from him.

"Tell me you didn't bring Fire Whiskey."

"Only a little, itsy-bit," she put he index finger and thumb mere millimeters apart to show him how much.

"Dee where's your bag from school?"

"In the tent," she laughed. He let go of her, ripped the glass out of her hand and headed to the tent. This threw off her balance and slowly everything started to spin. She tumbled to the ground and sliced open her eyebrow on a rock. She rolled over laughing before everything went black.

Tayhe didn't worry about Destin, but focused on getting Kaylen sober, to start then give him a memory potion. Everything had to be potion because he'd be expelled if he so much as pulled out his wand, let alone cast a spell on a muggle.

He dug through her stuff until he saw the familiar box. Tayhe pulled it out before carefully opening the lid. Luckily for him his sister always had her potions organized and clearly labeled. He hastily chose two that would work for his purpose.

Kaylen didn't refuse the first drink he was offered; he thought they were nothing but some mixed shot Tayhe always made. The first 'shot' was horrible; he had never tasted anything like it before. "Tayhe, what the hell was that?" he interrogated; his speech not so slurred anymore.

"Oh Kayle, you have to drink the second one for the full effect. Once you drink it you'll totally forget what the first originally tasted like," Tayhe advised.

Kaylen didn't object, for he desperately needed to get that taste out of his mouth. He took the second down just as fast as the first. Its sensation was a little better, but a shallow improvement. But soon he forgot what the first tasted like. In fact, he couldn't really remember the events of the past half-hour; not since dinner had finished.

"What happened to Destin? Tripped?" Kaylen asked worriedly.

An icy cold hand suddenly rested on her burning hot forehead. She turned away, but was forced back by a second chilling hand. Though impetuous, the grip was gentle and soon soothing. A thumb was tracing her eyebrow then an abrupt pain seared into her. She vaulted upwards, opening her eyes, but that was a definite mistake. Everything started to gyrate, and she closed her eyes tight.

"Never would have imagined you'd get drunk Princess." She tried to open her eyes again, this time more successful. She pulled back, head pounding, and rested on her hands. But the pull in her shoulder forced her back up. She placed her face in her hands, trying to concentrate on breathing.

"How's she doing?" a second voice startled her. It came from inside the tent; Tayhe seemed to be frantically stuffing things back into a bag.

"Fine, it looks like. Disoriented.".

"Thanks, that makes me feel much better. Quit talking now okay?" she muttered.

"Sure thing, I'm just going to put a bandage over your cut."

"Right, just do it." She patiently waited while he cleaned it, having to ignore the burning for quite some time before he finally put a waterproof Band-Aid over it.

"Come on, I have to do you're stomach too. You have to sit at a table."

"Sorry, not moving." She had such a stubborn tone that he didn't bother to argue. Destin was staring at the navy blue sky above her with an almost dreamy look. There was a little lantern that gave light resting on the right side of them.

Kaylen softly touched her stomach, but every time he tried to clean a big piece of dirt out it'd start to bleed. It took him about fifteen minutes to finally get it clean and stop bleeding enough to put a wrap over it. "Now I have to put something in between the wrap and your stomach so it doesn't heal the cloth right into it." She nodded, only so he knew to continue. Her head was pounding, along with her cut, her shoulder was tight and her stomach couldn't have felt worse, but as Kaylen gently pushed her back to straighten her stomach out everything started to melt away.

He set fabric over her stomach then reached for the wrap to hold it in place. Kayle put both hands around her waist and started to unravel the weave. She had to sit in a reclined position, so he held her in it with his left hand supporting her lower back. With his right he slowly started unraveling the material around her waist. With his every touch her body threatened to shiver, and it was all she could do not to just let go of her composure.

"You feeling alright now?" he asked after clipping it comfortably.

"Perfect, actually."


	3. Chapter Three:And Strutted Down the Path

**Chapter Three: And Strutted Down the Path**

"Kayle, c'mon . . . please," she begged in a whisper that is barely audible. "Tayhe's gone for a couple hours; he'll never have to know." Destin's wondering fingers dragged down under the sleeping bag that separated them. Playfully she pulled up the hem of his shirt and spread her hand across his warm stomach.

Kaylen made a silent groan in pleasure, not understanding what he should do. Before he could think straight he realized the sleeping bag was being pulled open and Destin crawled in with him. She straddled him, digging her hips into his with a look of desire in her eyes. He couldn't help but bring his hands to her hips and had to move uncomfortably underneath her when he felt she was wearing skimpy pajama shorts. "Destin, what if . . ."

He never finished. She had leaned forward and started to suck ever so lightly on his neck. His shirt was removed quickly over his head and her touch made him shudder. His hands moved upward, grasping her sides in hope to regain control. However, this had the opposite effect. Unable to find the strength to pull her off, he instead lifted her shirt up to give him access to her skin. After a few more moments of her soft, teasing kisses along his neck he couldn't help himself. He bent his head down, stopping her tormenting kisses and capturing her mouth with his. He didn't play around with gentle, practice kisses. His tongue traced her lips once, and she didn't need more of a hint. Without hesitating she parted her lips, loving the feeling of being devoured.

Her taste was unforgettable, addictive and paralyzing.

Everything turned into a haze. Slowly, he sensed her absence from the tent, and became aware of the small sounds just outside the tent.

Destin woke up freezing cold, shivering under her thick sleeping bag. _'Warm nights my butt,'_ she thought miserably, though she knew it was due to her extensive drinking. Her body was stiff; hating her and longing for the sleep that it stubbornly refused to give. Dee's head was clear, wide-awake and ready to role. Half hearted she kicking off the covers she sat up and stretched slowly. Her sweat pants and sweater lay hauntingly on top of her bag. She unzipped the tent and slid out, snatching her clothes along the way.

Closing the door behind her she stared out at the makeshift camping spot. How painfully it mocked her. She climbed into her clothes, hoping for instant warmth yet finding none. Destin scowled to herself, knowing that her mood wasn't helping a thing. She crawled onto the same rock as earlier. There was a cool breeze that made her feel better. _'At least my headache's gone,'_ she thought positively.

The more she thought about the day, the more she was confused. Should she feel stupid for getting drunk the first night here, feel excited by his lingering touches that consumed her brain, or angry that he causes such a reaction out of her? She heard someone stir inside of the tent and smirked. It obviously wasn't Tayhe; he wouldn't wakeup until food was made. Destin slid off the rock almost silently. Taking her time, she headed in the direction of that small landing she had been on to write music.

Loving to test people she waited until she knew he had seen her shadow before slipping into the darkness, leaving no further trail. As she suspected he followed willingly not long after her. Surprisingly he didn't call out, which gave her the feeling that he understood her games. However, when Destin suddenly snatched at his arms, he jumped a mile, not expecting her touch. "Did I wake you?" she asked politely, laughter evident in her voice.

"No, I never sleep for very long," he mumbled quickly.

"Weird dream," she stated rather than asked.

He tried to make out her expression in the darkness but failed. He hoped she hadn't heard anything; he didn't know if he talks in his sleep or not. If he did, what a dreadful place to start. "Something like that. Where were you headed?"

Dee entered into the moonlight so he could see her face. She had a funny grin on her face and motioned for him to follow. She never had the grace to move when she was younger, which had irritated her. Over the years she forcefully taught herself how to move in silence, almost in a flowing movement – though there were times she lost all grace. He watched in admiration for three seconds, before clobbering after her, not having the ability to make no noise. He had little trouble keeping up with her, even if she was quite fast.

She stopped abruptly, surprising herself at how quick she had reached the landing. He sort of bumped into her, almost making her tumble, but instead of being furious she giggled. "I never seem to give adequate warnings, sorry,"

"You get trampled on by a guy twice your size and you apologize," he smirked.

"You're not twice my size, good try though." She sat down on the edge and mused. Finally she felt relaxed and that she didn't have to hide anything.

He sat beside her, not knowing what to say about the change of heart. "You seemed to have dramatic thing going on earlier." His voice was careful, truthful, daring.

"Yes, but it was the first time I've ever gotten angry enough to lash out in years. I've had the ability to remain calm since I've started at Hogwarts. I kind of had to with all the rumors that started," she added. She watched her toes wiggle in the moonlight.

"Hogwarts?"

Her toes stopped dead, her face ghostly white. "Pardon?"

"You said since I've started at Hogwarts. I was just wondering what Hogwarts is, I didn't think I'd take you by surprise seeing as you mentioned it."

Her heart was thumping, she could feel her blood rushing faster, but her thinking was still boggled. "I'm such an idiot," she muttered to herself, not realizing that Kayle was staring at her, listening to every word. "I just blurted it out, like it was common. To a _muggle_, my Lord, I think I've gone absolutely insane. Not once have I ever come close to –" she stopped mid sentence and looked at him.

"Muggle," he said more to himself, but continued to study her expression. "Is that new slang for ruggedly handsome?"

"Something like that. Hogwarts would be rather boring to talk about, you wouldn't want to know." She looked away, down at the water, giving a weird, nervous look to the waiting water.

He laughed, she tried hard and he'd give her points for that. "We have all night, well sort of. Mornin' really, I 'pose eh?"

"I'd rather talk about something else, if you wouldn't mind. Hogwarts is a sore spot for me. I'm not used to having to go into detail." She was frantic, what would happen? Will the Ministry find out, or (in that case) do they already know?

He looked at her nervous attempt at a smile, and caved. "Maybe some other time when you feel more comfortable." He gave her a warm smile, not wanting to pressure her. She returned it, along with a sigh of relief. "So what are you doing up so early?"

"I had shivers, cold in the night. My own fault, I'll admit. I always have restless nights." She looked up at the stars in the sky, studying them. "I'm a night owl, can't handle the day honestly. Once I'm done at school, my job will include graveyard shifts constantly." Destin laughed at herself, "I'm a little nuts, I know."

He shrugged nonchalantly. "Nuts and eccentric are regularly confused. I think you're taking the clues to make inaccurate conclusions. It's good to know there's a person out there who isn't obsessed about the perfect tan or the most flattering beach wear." Kaylen thought for a moment. "'Everyone would quit caring what people think if they knew how little they were thought about.' I'm sure that's not the exact quote, but I think you get the meaning."

"Where did you hear that?"

"A friend. She spends her time digging around for useful quotes. Or so we tell people just to make her angry; you see she reads a lot more than any of us. We're never too sure about her." It was strange how he didn't even know her, but could talk so easily about nothing. He noticed she was still staring up at the sky and couldn't resist, "What do you see in the stars tonight?"

"Everything and nothing. As always I suppose."

"Hmm."

She decided she could at least try to explain. "You see as a w- I mean humans often change, exaggerate the meaning of what they see, but it's impossible to stop. Or if they are the rare pure soul they might completely understand the meaning, but miss the important message or even say something almost utterly different. There's no real use of trying to predict, or even assume what position each planet is in if you don't have a telescope." Destin finally took her eyes off the deep purple sea above her, and was a little overwhelmed when she realized that he was looking curiously at her. "Sorry, I've studied a little."

"You don't have to apologize. The way you clearly expressed your opinion in such a calm manner was just kind of alluring. Not to mention you have a lovely voice to listen to, as long as it's not yelling at me."

She felt colour wash over her cheeks and forced herself not to look away. "That was one of the best compliments I've ever been given, even if I don't deserve it." Destin looked out at the scenery around her lazily. "I'm sorry, about earlier. I didn't know I still had such a temper. I'm used to being able to control my emotions, but there's . . ." she trailed off, aware that she was two seconds from insulting the guy.

"Something about me? Don't worry I get that a lot."

Dee peered into his unyielding hazelnut eyes. She'd noticed they deepened to an almost black when arguing, were warm and inviting during a moment of laughter, but at any other time seemed to judge and mock the person staring into them. "It's not just a random quality; it's your eyes. They deride."

His cocky laugh rang in her ears. "You're eyes are beautiful too, princess."

"Shut up," she said a little more fiercely than she had intended. "I didn't say it to insult you."

"Why else would you say a thing like that?"

"It's not an insult if you were born with it," she replied calmly. She'd been over this same piece of fact with many people who still don't quite understand what she was getting at. _'They all had that damn temper,'_ she thought.

"What would you call it then?" he demanded in a rising voice.

"The truth! Fact! Good, hard evidence." Her voice had raised a level, but he still saw her as calm and collected as ever. "You have expressive eyes and they seem to be evaluating you."

"Isn't that what everyone does? You evaluate what the person is saying, and with you it's always an opinion. Opinions reflect character, so why wouldn't I be trying to figure you out?"

Her eyes burned white anger; she could just send the kid flying off the edge into the water… Wait no. They've already been after her about using her powers on summer holidays. Not that anyone would've known if Tayhe had kept his trap shut. She stood up and dusted herself off. "Shove off." She pushes him off the edge with her foot when he starts to stand and is unbalanced.

He didn't have the time to scream, to try and catch his balance, or prepare to crash into the freezing water. She smirked to herself, as there was a scandalous sound of his body breaking the water surface then turned on her bare heel and strutted down the path.


	4. Chapter Four: Quick End and Fascinating ...

**Chapter Four: Quick End and Fascinating Start**

It wasn't a refreshing cool as it would have been if it were a normal hot, sunny day. In the cool of night, it was freezing, awakening and shocking, it would have been ridiculous to describe the fall as stimulating or delightful. Luckily he missed every rock along the edge going down. He remembered the uncomfortable experience as if it happened just the night before, not over two weeks back. After the incident he learned what he could and could not pull off around Destin. It'd been a rough adjustment, seeming how most girls his age fawned over him like a prince. He knew it was only because he had an "exotic" look about him, in truth it was just a mysterious aura that intrigued them. When they couldn't figure out the mystery, they often gave up. But with dark hair and pale eyes, it was difficult not to notice him compared to all the other fake blond, blue-eyed guys in the small town. Destin pushed him in the lake, and it settled a lot between them.

Destin, he noticed, had suddenly remembered how to bite her caustic tongue when his actions were conduct unbecoming. Pushing him into the lake from atop a cliff gave her some pride, with a side dish of guilt (not that she'd ever tell him out-right). Gradually they became closer and friendlier. Hell, they had even flirted - him in a not-so-blunt manner, whenever Tayhe left to the farm for whatever they needed. She'd surprised him with how well she could rough it. He never heard her complain about not having a proper shower, a more private place to shave, or the ungodly manner in which the boys ate.

He'd enjoyed the sight of her more over the weeks. They'd been fortunate enough to have scorching hot weather throughout the whole time. If it had not been for the cooling swims, crisp evenings and cold beer always waiting in the cooler the weeks would have been nothing short of torture. He didn't have to mention that the sight of Destin's bikini tops, shorts and skimpy shirts didn't help the heat issue. To his eternal frustration she did have a pair of insufficient pajama shorts, much to his dreams description. To make matters worse, he always had a feeling she knew what he fancied.

But exactly eighteen days of pure heat had starting creating the serious risk to the land. The threat of forest fires had slowly started creeping up through the dry forests, destroying anything and everything in their path. So when Kayle, the first to wake, stepped out into the pouring rain he was relieved. The thunder in the distance worried him a little bit, but he knew the rain would help tremendously. The rain had never bothered him much, though he greatly preferred to have the sun to shine through. However, he had to admit that the sensation of the droplets drenching him was exhilarating.

By the time he'd walked the path up towards the old farm he was soaked as if he'd decided to go for a swim in his clothes. He hurried over to the four-wheeler and took out the tarp that had been strapped to the back. Tayhe was waiting for a storm – hoping for a storm – so brought it to camp during his one of his previous trips to the farm. When he got back Destin stood by the water waiting.

She turned at the sound of a person trudging down the old path. Dee rolled her eyes when discovering he had soaked his once dry and warm oversized sweatshirt and faded-blue jeans. "Great, I figured you went to grab the tarp. I know how we can tie it up." She marched over, bare-foot, to help him.

_'Always ready to do something.'_

They started unfolding the massive fabric to reveal their new shelter. "You're always thinking ahead. Makes my life so much easier," he smiled at her.

She couldn't help but smile back. "Come on, take that corner," she pointed, "to that tree up there," she dragged her hand to his left. "Up as high as you can reach after you climb that rock beside it. Can you handle that?"

"I'll manage," he laughed. "Just do your side Princess."

Not offended in the least to his nickname for her anymore, she went off with the opposite corner. She waited for him to finish his side, being the more difficult of the two, before starting hers. She climbed onto the picnic table, tarp and twine in hand, then up the tree.

He rested on the rock watching her for a moment. Kayle didn't know her reason for only wearing board shorts and a light, white tank top that had a low neckline that was lined with lace. Not that he was complaining; Kaylen enjoyed the view, especially since she was as soaked as he was. The familiar feeling of desire snuck into his system as he hungrily gazed through her tank top. He always admired that her stomach was so toned and shaped.

Amazed at her ability to stay stable so far, she smiled. Dee figured she could make it one branch higher, so tested herself. True, if she slipped she'd be in for it, but if not, she'd at least earned some more respect. Destin reached up and grasped the thick branch with shaking fingers. Placing her feet securely on the branch below her, she heaved herself up half way to the next arm of the tree. Bringing her other arm up to help aid in lifting her weight, Dee could feel the same hand slip over the wet tarp in her hand. Desperately she dug her toes into the bark and let go of the tarp to instead cling to the twine, then tried a final attempt to grab the branch. She was successful.

It felt easier to pull herself up the second half, but still she felt relieved to be sitting on the branch in a more secure, upright position. She wrapped her arms around the tree to pass the twine between her hands, then pulled back to tie a complicated knot to hold the tarp in place.

"Impressive move Princess. You never cease to amaze me," he complimented half-heartedly. Though she sent back a confident, 'duh' smile back, he noticed a twinge of hesitation in her eyes. "To make it easier," he suggested, "Why don't you just slide off that branch to the next. Then you can dangle from that, and I'll catch you from there."

After contemplating it for a few moments, she replied, "Sounds better then my plan."

"What was your plan?" he asked curiously.

"Well, to stay up here and live a more simplistic life," she stated as if the option was apparent solution.

"Oh, right, obviously."

She slung off the first branch, and he stood staring nervously up at her. As Destin dropped to the first branch, he readied himself just in case she lost her balance. But somehow she'd landed smoothly enough, dropping down to a low crouch, hands clutching the branch to steady her after her feet landed. "You ready?" she called down uncertainly.

He pushed the picnic table off to the side just to be safe before placing himself just underneath her. "Yeah, go ahead."

Destin awkwardly positioned her hands to grasp the tree then slid off. She hadn't been hanging for more then a second before she felt his hands grab her sides. He was in front of her, and she waited for him to make the next move.

He tightened his grip on her to make sure she wouldn't fall. "Okay, you can let go now." She did carefully, and loved how she didn't budge more an inch when she let go of the branch. It was easy enough for him, as long as he ignored the sharp pain in his shoulder. He brought her down carefully, and even though he was sure she was safely on the ground he didn't remove his hands from her hips.

The wet fabric under his hands was chillingly cold. Not realizing what he was doing he couldn't help but bring her a little closer to him. She was fully aware of the situation, and was waiting for the panicking to start. Destin had a history of panic attacks when she was so close to someone of the opposite sex. She'd never been able to describe the feeling, let alone tell anyone about it. But nothing happened, no matter how long she waited for it to creep into her.

To help push the feelings to the surface (they were just hiding, she was sure) she slid her hands to his shoulders. She felt him wrap his arms closer around her body, his face only inches away. The rain started down harder, but neither of them noticed. His pale eyes staring intently at hers, she moved closed some distance between them, her eyes closing without her control. Before she could open them again she felt his lips on hers.

It wasn't the kiss he had first dreamed of. It wasn't unruly, wild and rushed. It was soft, faint and lazy. His lips were smooth and practiced while hers unsure and tender. Destin felt a smile start inside. The kiss was glorious and comfortable. Not once during the whole thing did she feel nervous or scared, and she loved it. It was easy with him, as if they were always meant to share this aspect of their life together.

He pulled back slowly as he was suddenly fully aware of what they were doing. To his relief she didn't seem to want to slap him, though now he thought of it he was sure she would have done it already if she had planned to. Kayle smiled at her, uncertain on the reason why this kiss was so different from any before.

Destin smiled back, loving how this didn't feel awkward. "You realize you just soaked your only sweater?"

He laughed. "So that's the reason you're out in such a thin white shirt. Also a wise choice to wear in the rain to make sure that everything is appropriately hidden."

She pushed him back and laughed. "Good to know I've got your attention. Grab the other corner would yah?" She picked up the corner and went to the more accessible point to hang the tarp.

Once the tarp was providing a dry area for their main activities they started to organize a bit. "Everything is soaked; I doubt it'll ever dry."

"Oh an optimist, yay," he mocked. He took his time lighting the fire; he never was in a hurry. When he was sure the fire was started he began pulling everything in away from the rain. He started with the firewood, seeming as it could take the longest to dry out. Slowly everything was in a convenient place drying out and Destin had started cooking breakfast. She now had a warm, dry sweater while he was trying to stay close to the fire to keep warm in his t-shirt.

"What a wife you'd make," he commented.

She glanced over at him, then back to flipping bacon. "I don't know whether to take that as a compliment or an insult."

"How many girls your age –"

"_My_ age?" she interrupted.

"As in an age of individuality and the want to rule all men. You know, feminism" She laughed, which was his cue to continue with previous sentence. "Not many will cook and clean for two guys and not expect something back in return."

She set closed the little tinfoil bowl around the bacon to keep it warm and set it to the other side of the grill. "How many eggs?" she asked as she cracked open four, two with each hand.

"Two, please," he ordered. "Two toast also, if you wouldn't mind," he added.

"Alright." Destin pulled open a bread bag and pulled out three pieces. She buttered two, set them on the grill then flipped two of the eggs before buttering the third.

"You make it look so easy."

She laughed. "I've done this for my whole family before. Feeding the three of us isn't difficult. I've learned tricks from Grams."

"The whole family? How many is that?"

"Haven't you ever asked Tayhe?"

"No, guys don't talk about stuff like that much. I mean he mentions extended family, but you hear a name, laugh at the story and that's about it."

"Right, it's not manly," she rolled her eyes. "My Uncle Bill has three kids, but all are older than me. Uncle Charlie only has two, one two years older than I am; the other is my age. Uncle Percy has five now, all younger than me. My Uncle Fred and Uncle George don't have any, but are constantly bombarded with babysitting. My dad has three including me with one on the way. And finally my Aunt Ginny has just had her sixth, once again all younger than me. So thirty in all I suppose."

"Thirty immediate family. How do you do it?" he asked, flabbergasted,

"They come in herds. You get the hang of it after a while." She placed the plate of food in front of him. "And what you don't realize is I now control you in a different, more powerful way. I now rule your stomach."

He stopped and stared at her with his mouth still full with food. His eyes were shocked and impressed. "My Lord, you're right."

She rolled her eyes and dished out a second plate. "You can call me Dee, Lord is too formal. And don't worry, I don't abuse my power." Tayhe stumbled out of the tent and fumbled his way over. Dee held out his plate to him and grabbed two more eggs.

"Mornin', thanks Dee." He slumped into a dry lawn chair by the fire. Tayhe dug into his breakfast and was half way through before looking around. "Man you guys got a lot done this morning."

"It was more fun then work," Destin commented, sending a smile over to Kayle. He threw his empty paper plate into the fire and walked over to Destin.

"I'd have to agree." He stood behind her and took advantage of Tayhe having his back to him. Kaylen placed his hands on her waist and put a soft kiss on her jaw before biting her ear lobe lightly. She jumped around but he'd already pulled back and was grabbing a dishcloth. "Need any help clean up?"

She shook her head at him. "Go right ahead if you insist."

Tayhe had turned, not that either of them noticed, and caught the whole show. He was worried about how serious the relationship was getting. Destin couldn't tell him about who she really was, and he was bound to notice her air colour changing with her mood sooner or later. If she told him, Kaylen would never trust him again.

"Hey Dee, Dad's going to be here in the evening to pick you up. Hermione wants you home to help with Austin because her back is really acting up."

It took a second to realize he was talking to her. Tayhe looked uncomfortable. "When did he say this?"

"Last visit to the farm there was a message. I forgot until just now." The rain poured harder down as Tayhe shrugged and walked toward the lake edge. "This will probably keep up anyway. A real storm is on its way."

As he said it a fierce wind swept through the camp, forcing the tarp in rough jerks and flap wildly.

_Stop it._

Tayhe whipped around in shock as the voice boomed in his skull. Dee was glaring at him in surprise.

_Stop it. Please._

The voice was soft, but demanded his attention. He hated her in his head. _It's not me,_ he thought, before pushing her out.

"I'll pack up the tent if you and Kayle hull the coolers and stuff," Dee said. The storm overhead deepened, rumbling thunder sounded in the distance.

"We leave most of the stuff here for the summer. I won't drag it back to the barn until the first frost," Kaylen said.

"Plus, with the family coming over this weekend, Kayle and I won't be coming until next week," Tayhe said.

Kayle turned. "I'm coming?"

"Of course. So you don't have to pack up the entire tent, just your stuff Dee," said Tayhe.

Dee suspected something was up, but knew mum would really need her help now that she wasn't almost due. "Alright, I'll be ready in about ten minutes."

She immediately wrapped up her wet clothes into a bag and shoved them into the bottom of her bag. A bright, half a second flash lit up the tent. _One, one thousand. Two, t –"_ Thunder crackled loudly, rumbling the floor. She could hear a crash in the direction of the farm.

If weather could reflect moods, this was certainly Dee's opinion on leaving after things just started getting interesting. Not the end of the world, she reminded herself. Another flash, another crackle. This was definitely not Tayhe, but a deep storm that's been brewing for weeks.

"Dee!" Panic in the voice made her jump unexpectedly. Coming down, she landed on the side of her foot, slipping on a sleeping bag. Dee tried to turn and tried to catch herself before falling, but by placing her hands out she fell hard on her left shoulder, and the old familiar pain shot through her body.

"Destin! We have to go, now," Tayhe yelled.

"Tayhe, I'll only be a few more minutes." Destin raised her self up slowly, trying to stay on her right side.

Disembodied hands floated desperately into the tent, and Dee was jerked backwards. The hand ripped into her shoulder, for a few moments black clouds spotted her vision – though whether or not it was the sky or her pain storming her vision, she didn't know. She felt her hair catch in the zipper, but had little time to think about it as she felt the chunk of hair pulled mercilessly as Kaylen continued to pull her out.

She closed her eyes to get rid of the clouds, to forget about the pain, to hide the tears. She couldn't stifle a small whimper. She felt the hands loosen from her shoulders, and slowly they came to a stop that allowed her to catch her feet. Without the support of his hands on her shoulders she fell forwards on her knees. Her hands connected violently with the wet ground in front of her and she felt defeated for the first time in her life.


	5. Chapter Five: The Truth

**Chapter Five: The Truth**

"Dee! Kayle!"

Silence.

"Destin! Kaylen!" The voice chocked in the thickening smoke. It was farther away. Tayhe was being forced to retreat by the rapidly spreading fire.

Dee tried to open her eyes, but was forced to close them as she was blinded by the smoke. She turned around, feeling the ground in front her. Her hands felt nothing but dirt, rocks, and some pine cones.

"Kaylen, where are you?" she yelled as best she could. Nothing. She put her hand to the bottom of her neck, and a booming voice followed, "Kayle!"

She faintly heard movement in the direction of the lake. She crawled as quickly as she could towards the sound. The forest fire was growing and the crackling was starting to dig into her nerves. Dee's hands suddenly bumped into something softer than dirt, and she tumbled onto Kaylen.

"Kayle," Dee whispered as she ran her hands over his motionless body. She found his neck and felt for his face, bringing her mouth inches from his ears. "Are you alright? Answer me! Please," she sobbed, "Kaylen!"

He didn't say anything, but she felt his hand float to her head. She didn't think twice. "Accio wand!" Through the smoke her wand burned towards her, and her hand ready to accept. Seconds after her fingers were clutched around it, she did a complicated wave and she saw a wave of murky green and a dark shadow before her eyes closed and her body went limp on top of Kaylen.

"Tayhe," Destin whispers as she glances at Kaylen. "Does Kayle know?"

"He doesn't remember much, thinks he imagined a lot of it. Luckily the doctors said he'd inhaled enough smoke that he can't recall anything clearly," he whispers back.

"But he's okay?"

"Your spell did everything you intended it to, and everything you didn't."

Dee stared at him. "The ministry is looking into this?"

"Hermione is taking care of it. You'll probably be put on probation and you won't get you wand until Hogwarts starts again, but you'll still get to go at least. It's the best she can do."

Dee nodded. She didn't need her wand anyway, but this could mean no wand privledges for the rest of her underage summers. "Is he still coming back with us?" Dee had just woken up, losing a day of information.

"Yeah, he's already packed. Dad's moved his things to the house."

There was a pause which neither wanted to break.

"I can't tell him," Tayhe said finally.

Dee looked at him as if he were crazy. "Don't you think it'd be better coming from you?"

"No. I'd have to admit I haven't told the whole truth for years, there's no good way to tell him that."

She couldn't believe what he wanted her to do, but she couldn't argue his rational. She slowly lifted herself off the bed, sliding her feet off the side. The cool tile under her feet spread a shiver up her body. Dee slipped out of the door trying to bring no attention to herself as she moved towards Kaylen, who was sitting in an uncomfortable waiting room chair, head leaning against the wall behind him. She sat down next to him soundlessly.

"Looks like we made it out okay, then, eh mate?" she said softly. He jumped slightly, and his eyes were on her in less than a second. "At least you remember the details."

He slid his hand on top of hers. "Not really. I started hallucinating. I saw a wave of green liquid wash over me and the camp that extinguished the fire and the burns I'd imagined I had. I suddenly had an overwhelming sense of calm, and serenity. That's when Tayhe came and got us."

She waited. "You describe it very accurately. Most people are unable to describe magic when they see it."

"What are you talking about? I imagined it, it wasn't magic Princess." Kaylen straightened his posture in his chair, staring straight into Destin's eyes. They stared back, and were anything but joking.

"Yes it was. I conjured it with my wand, because I haven't found a way to harness the new spells I've learned this summer. Magic is tricky that way, some spells you know your whole life and you never have to practice. Others you have to really work on and you can make a lot of mistakes."

"I think you should go lie down, you're not thinking straight." Kaylen went to stand up to find a doctor, or help Dee back into her room. But he didn't move. A scared look spread across his face.

"You have to believe me, I'm a witch. Tayhe is a wizard. Our entire family is, so I knew we had to tell you before you came over."

"Why can't I move? What are you doing? You're delusional."

Tayhe came out from behind the door. "Keep your voice down, some of the other patients are starting to stare."

"Tayhe," said Kaylen, panic thick in his tone. "You might want to get a doctor, I think Destin hit her head, and I'm having some sort of a muscle spasm."

Tayhe gave Dee a hard look. "With the Ministry watching you, I thought you'd do less illegal magic. There is always better ways of dealing with these things you know."

Dee immediately took off the spell, but it didn't make a difference. Kaylen had passed out in the chair, and slumped down rather pathetically.

"It wasn't me," Dee said before Tayhe had finished turning his head.

"Because we're traveling by floo powder to England. And you'd have to find out eventually, for one reason or another."

They had gone back to their campsite, trying to gather what was left of it. Destin's protection saved a lot, which only made it more difficult to explain to the muggles. "Luck" was often attributed during these magical mishaps. Tayhe and Kaylen had left Destin by the quads while they finish organizing the area to make it like it was before to their best ability. Stocked firewood, extra lawn chairs leaning against a fallen tree, and a couple beer tucked into the water, buried enough so you could just see the lip of the bottle and the cap.

"Floo powder?"

"By fireplace. You get a little dirty, but it's the fastest thing you can use when you're not of age," he tried to explain.

"Okay. This is awesome, I can't believe this is real. I half expect to wake up and be told I've been a vegetable for a year or something," Kaylen said, grinning a little. It took a long time for him to believe Destin and Tayhe, but now he thought it was most amazing thing he'd ever heard of.

They reach Dee, who was staring at the view of the farm. Tay climbed onto his four wheeler, and Kaylen gets Destin to shove back so he can drive the other back to the house. They wait patiently for Tay to start up his quad, before roaring off to the house. Destin ducks her head behind Kayle's back to keep the whipping rain from hitting her face. She enjoys how her scarlet locks whip behind her, lost in the wind. Destin wraps her arms around his waist, fingers clinging to his sides. Leaning forward, she moves her mouth towards his ear.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier," she says loud enough for him to hear her.

He says nothing, unsure of his voice for a change. Instead he places his hand on hers, giving it a reassuring squeeze. It made sense - she made sense. She was no longer full of mysteries.

Destin sighed as she came back to reality. The video had ended, quite awhile ago, but her memory had continued without her realizing it. She began to stretch her legs, and realized she shouldn't have sit in such a crumpled position. Destin stood up slowly, she knew it was late and she'd have to sneak back to the dorms. After blowing out the candles, she crept towards the door. Her hand grasped the cold metal door knob gently then turned it in a smooth, quiet motion. Nobody was around so she slips into the dark hallway, and swept through the castle as fast as she could without making any noise. The school was dark, but she needed no light to guide her. Destin could practically roam the school with her eyes closed without ever getting lost.

She reached the Fat Lady without seeing anything but the pictures move. "Jitterbug."

The Fat Lady yawned impatiently. "Yes, all right, but try not to stay up so late Miss. Weasley."

"Sorry, I'll be in on time tomorrow. If I'm not, I'll spend the night out here instead." She hurried into the common room, expecting to be able to run straight up to bed. Unfortunately, he sat in his usual spot and was staring at her.

"What are you still doing up? It's past two already."

"It's only two. Why are you wasting your time with him and his presents? Kaylen will never be interested in you like that again. You have to get over it." His matter-of-fact tone taunted her to become angry.

Destin stared blankly back, refusing to give him anything. "Steve, he was never interested in me "like that," so it would be hard to get over something that never happened. We're friends, and I don't understand why that twists your knickers so much. Maybe you have something to get over. I'm tired."

Without giving him a second glance she started up the stairs. Steve was right, of course, but she'd never admit that she blindly fell for a guy without taking in the facts first. They were friends, and it will be that way as long as she held a wand.


	6. Chapter Six: The Wizarding World

**Chapter Six: The Wizarding World**

By the end of that long day Kaylen realized that it was never Destin that is mysterious; it's their whole world. Travel through fire was the strangest and most uncomfortable method ever imaginable. After a decent time of watching fireplace after fireplace pass before him, he stumbled into the beautiful room and was covered in black soot. Kayle felt out of place in such an enchanting house, and immediately wished that he would have made a cleaner entrance. The excitement of magic was disappearing more rapidly than he expected. The room was crowded with people he didn't recognize. Finally, he saw Tayhe sitting at the large dinning room table, roughly scrubbing his face clean. Tayhe didn't bother to introduce him to anyone, didn't even look up at his entrance.

"You must be Kaylen, I've heard so much about you," a smooth voice warmed from his side.

Kaylen turned to meet a very pregnant women smiling genuinely at him. "It's nice to meet you ma'am. I'm assuming that you're Hermione." He politely offered a hand, painfully trying to forget how disheveled he felt.

"Ma'am? I didn't know I was old enough to be a ma'am... Yes, I am Hermione. You can call me 'Mione if you want, everyone does." Suddenly, she grabbed his arm and pulled him away from the fireplace. He didn't get a chance to question the rash movement before noticing the flame in the hearth turn brilliant green. Dee shoots out of the fireplace with amazing speed, making a tremendous entry.

"Another lovely entrance by Miss Hogwarts 2005, ladies and gentlemen!" a voice announced from somewhere in the crowd. Everyone laughed at the comment, enjoying the clumsy debut.

Destin took a huge bow. "I learned from the best Auntie Ginny!" Dee walked towards the sink to grab a large wet cloth. "Here Kaylen, you can use this for your hands and face," she handed him the cloth. Instead of grabbing another cloth, Kayle watched her make a funny hand movement, completely ridding her of all soot. "I can get your clothes, but mum doesn't like me to take the soot off our guests' faces. I accidentally turned Tayhe into a guinea pig once trying to do it."

"Accidentally my arse, you planned it," Tayhe spoke up from the table.

"I simply wanted to see if you'd make a good pet, I changed you back right away! _Anyway_," she emphasized to change the subject, "I'll introduce you to the family. It looks like Bill and Charlie couldn't make it." She cleaned his clothing while he viciously wipes away the dirt off his face.

Kayle was surprised, but relieved to see he was fully clean. "So without them there will be how many here?"

Destin thought for a moment. "Twenty one I believe. Don't worry about their names, you'll get it soon enough. Tayhe come along, we have to make rounds anyway."

They slowly made it to everyone in the room. Hermione first, as she had missed her kids dearly. Kaylen met Percy and Penelope, their three girls Becky, Jen, Mon and their two sons Troy and Jade. Next he met Harry and Ginny, their children Jordan, Lily, Emma, James, Alexis, and Sam. Next were Fred and George, who did their best to confuse Kaylen the best they could (which was accomplished after only a few moments).

"Finally, this is my sister Serena, or Rena for short," Destin introduced.

"It's nice to meet you Rena."

"Right back at yah," she smiled before heading off in the other direction.

"She's strange, so just ignore her," Tayhe explained.

Kaylen laughed. "If I can put up with you two for how long, I'm sure I can handle a younger version."

"Har, har. You're so funny!"

"My grandparents aren't here yet. They're coming a bit later," Tayhe said.

"Tayhe, would you come here and help with the table? Destin, take Kaylen upstairs and show him around will you?" Hermioned directed from the other side of the room.

Dee lead Kayle upstairs. Meeting everybody at once with only passing comments as reference was slightly overwhelming for Kaylen, but he seemed to be adjusting alright.

"Molly and Arthur, right?" It was hard to keep things straight, so Kayle double checked while they were alone. They came to the top of the stairs and he took a deep breath. He could still hear everyone downstairs, but it is calm upstairs.

Dee smiled because she knew that he was already a little worn out. "Yes, and don't worry about being polite. They've heard so much about you, you're like family." She walked to the door closest to her and opened it. "This is Tayhe's room; where you'll be staying. I think Dad has already put your stuff in there."

The room was immaculate, everything always sat in the right place. The walls were a deep blue which brought warmth into the bedroom. The bed was a double, giving just enough room for Tayhe and a friend, but not enough to make a decent guest room. A few posters of Quidditch and baseball players hung on the wall here and there, but most of Tayhe's personal belongings were hidden away in his Hogwarts trunk.

"Where is your family staying?" Kaylen asked.

"Mostly at my grandparents. We only have one guest room right now, so Harry and Ginny will stay in there with Alexis and Sam. The other four, Jordan, Emma, Lilly, and James, will stay in my room," she pointed towards a door in the opposite direction then headed towards her bedroom. The upstairs had a simple lay out, which they had changed constantly throughout the years.

Entering the living room from the stairs, there were two large, overstuffed sofas to seat many people at a time, along with two recliners. Their TV wasn't very large, but it wasn't used very often, usually just when the parents wanted to relax and set up a 'movie night' for the kids. The walls were painted a cream colour – Hermione didn't want too many colours in the house. Tayhe's bedroom was directly to the left when coming into the room then the guest room after. Destin's bedroom was the far room right corner of the upstairs next to the bathroom.

Dee opened her bedroom door and was surprised at the amount of luggage at the end of her bed. They seemed to have packed a lot, but thankfully they haven't stayed in her room yet (having just arrived today) because the room would have been torn apart. She loved her cousins, but they were known to destroy everything in their path.

"There is going to be five of you staying in here?" Kaylen asked.

She shook her head. "Two on the bed, and we pull out two cots. I stay on the couch." Her room was a decent size, but the queen-sized bed, which evidently made it possible for her room to become a second guest room when she was at school, took up most of the room. She had painted the walls a neutral mocha colour, with sage green accents. "That's family right?"

"That's a big family." He laughed a little. Kayle went back into the living room and collapsed onto the red sofa.

Dee sats across from him with a sigh. "A little overwhelming?"

"A little," he agreed. "I don't know how you keep up with it all."

"All what?" she asked, not knowing what he was talking about.

"Everything. After introducing me to each relative you were able to ask or comment on a part of their life. 'I see you've finally figured out how control the amount of ear hair you grow with those pills,' which by the way was one of the weirdest comments I've ever heard and I'd love to get some of those," he added before continuing, "Or you say 'I heard you met the Weird Sisters!' or 'I heard you just got a new broom, how does it ride?' How do you remember who does what?" Kayle couldn't comprehend knowing so many specific details about people.

Destin laughed at his examples. "It's easy to know what Uncle Fred and Uncle George are working on. They own a joke shop and test all their inventions on us. Penelope loves the Weird Sisters - she'd been talking about going to the concert for _ages_. And I have passion for brooms; it's always exciting to get a new one. Once you get to know them it's quite easy."

There was a pause and they could hear everyone laughing downstairs. "So everyone down there is witches and wizards?"

"Yeah. How weird is this for you?"

"It's weird, but it's really interesting. You read fairy tales when you're little, and never think anything like this is real. This is more than I could have ever even imagined."

"He should have told you sooner, not two seconds before pushing into our world."

"He had his reasons I'm sure." They heard a door open down stairs, and suddenly everyone was louder than normal again. "Sounds like your grandparents are here."

She grinned and smelt the air. "It smells like Grams is here. Dinner's ready, lets go!"

Dee jumped up and ran downstairs, eager to see her grandparents. Kayle stood slowly to follow. _'This is the loudest family I've ever met - not to mention the biggest,'_ he thought, loving the fact that he is so welcome in it.

The rest of the evening was full of eating, laughter, and, of course, several arguments. Kayle enjoyed dinner, though he decided that it was better not to ask what a few of the dishes were. He observed everybody, listened to their conversations and finally realized that it was simple to catch on to who was who.

As for Destin's Aunts and Uncles, they were all from Ron's side of the family. It was easy to tell who married into the family, because they didn't have flaming red hair. Harry was the only Uncle to marry into the family, and Ginny was Ron's only sister, and had just had her sixth child. Fred and George have not married, and though neither brought dates, they were both in serious relationships. Percy and Penelope are the oldest young couple there, but Bill and Charlie are older then Percy.

While the adults stayed around the table, talking and drinking, and the younger kids watched movies upstairs, Destin, Tayhe, Kaylen, Becky and Jordan went outside. The night was beautiful, with a clear sky that allowed the moon to work as their light.

"Why is it so difficult to find something to do when everyone gets together?" Becky complained. In a way, she spoke the truth, but only because they usually were too lazy to think of anything creative.

"We could always go to the paddock, find something to do there," Jordan suggested.

Tayhe answered skeptically, "In the dark? We'd kill ourselves if we played."

"All the more fun for me," Dee laughed. "Plus, Kaylen hasn't been there. We should show him the sites."

"Good, then it's decided!" Becky started off towards their destination.


End file.
